Few will disagree that slavery was - and is - a terrible institution with no redeeming features. In antebellum America, the southern states that is, iFew will disagree that slavery was - and is - a terrible institution with no redeeming features. In antebellum America, the southern states that is, it wasn't just accepted, it was staunchly defended by Bible-waving white slave owners who relied on free labor to harvest cotton, tobacco and keep house. Many of these unfortunate people (the slaves, that is) were often beaten, tortured and sometimes killed with impunity – and immunity - by their masters. Into this world was born Harriet Jacobs. Her early years weren't too bad. But then she was sold and her new master soon had his eye on her for nefarious reasons. He wanted desperately to have sex with his young slave. Harriet wasn't having any of it. For years, he pursued her and Harriet resisted. She grew so tired of his advances and brutal treatment that she went into hiding and eventually escaped to the north.This book, first published in 1861, is a first-person account of what it was like to be a young female slave in the south. The story is compelling and tender even as the reader will be infuriated at southern white attitudes towards their slaves. It’s easy to see why, after the Civil War, it took another century for black people to finally win a measure of respect and civil rights.My copy of the book was “read” as an audio book. Disclaimer: I am personally acquainted with “Audio Elan”. Her work in vocalizing Harriet’s story is very good, nay, excellent. Highly recommended....more

A fascinating autobiographical re-imagining of Livia Drusilla, third wife of Rome's first emperor, Augustus (Octavian). Livia has been cast by some hiA fascinating autobiographical re-imagining of Livia Drusilla, third wife of Rome's first emperor, Augustus (Octavian). Livia has been cast by some historians as a vengeful and controlling harridan. Phyllis T Smith treats her much more sympathetically. The historical events are real. The dialogue and interpersonal relationships are imagined but done so thoughtfully. I look forward to reading more of Smith's writing. Highly recommended!...more

The title made me realize I had only thought of Stalin as a murderous tyrant guilty of tens of millions of deaths during his tenure as the Soviet UnioThe title made me realize I had only thought of Stalin as a murderous tyrant guilty of tens of millions of deaths during his tenure as the Soviet Union’s absolute dictator from 1922 to 1953). Of course, he had to have a childhood and a young adulthood that shaped him into the monster we all know and despise. I was not disappointed. Young Stalin kept me glued to the pages (Kindle pages).Stalin, as you will imagine, had a very difficult childhood. His father was a beast who beat young Soso (one of Stalin’s many names and nicknames) mercilessly and regularly. His mother, who was a much nicer person, would occasionally participate in the abuse. Stalin’s father was adamant that young Josef follow in his footsteps. These efforts largely failed and young Stalin mostly went his own way and did what he pleased – often while being pursued and harassed by his father. He maintained regular contact with his mother until her death – well after he had become Russia’s ‘Red Tsar’.As Stalin matured, he briefly considered becoming an Orthodox priest. In fact, he became a seminarian but spent so much of his time reading books that he had little time to study for the priesthood. In his early 20s, he read Karl Marx’s body of work and quickly fell in thrall to Socialism.Josef Stalin was born Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili, near Tiflis (Tblisi) Georgia, in December of 1878. At the time, Georgia was a part of the Russian Tsar’s empire. Young Josef was a quick study but preferred didactic learning. He was bright and gifted as a writer and poet. As he matured, his poetry was published and well received by critics. As he grew into his love affair with the works of Marx and Engels, he began writing pamphlets and newspaper articles in support of his ideological leanings. He also had an eye for the ladies. He engaged in many romantic relationships with a wide variety of women. By dint of his personality and good looks, he had little trouble seducing women.As he matured politically, he embarked on a life of crime – the kind of crime that targeted the Russian aristocracy. For many years he organized and led hijackings, bank robberies, piracy and other crimes in the service of the nascent communist (Bolshevik) cause in the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan & environs). In one particular bank job, in Tiflis in 1907, more than 40 people – mostly innocent bystanders - were killed and millions of rubles stolen. While he wasn’t a member of the raiding party, he is rumored to have planned the event and watched it from the courtyard of a house in the area. He dismissed all the casualties as collateral damage and never shed a tear. He rarely kept any of the money for himself; it was mostly smuggled to Vladimir Illyich Lenin - in exile in Finland. Lenin and his crew used the ill-gotten gains to further the Bolshevik cause around Europe. A great deal of time was spent fund-raising and evangelizing the socialist cause during the early years of the 20th century. Stalin soon became known to Lenin and rose rapidly in the close circle of Lenin’s aides. By the time of the October Revolution in 1917, Stalin was Lenin’s closest aide if not heir apparent. I look forward to reading Montefiore’s book, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar. This book was written prior to Young Stalin but spurred Montefiore to write a volume on Stalin’s early years. Much of the material only recently came to light when the Kremlin released many papers relating to Stalin. During his tenure, Stalin and his deputies suppressed anything and everything unfavorable to the man. It is now available to the reading public and makes for fascinating study....more

I read this book many years ago. It was my first in-depth exposure to Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. John Wyclif, John Huss and others anticipI read this book many years ago. It was my first in-depth exposure to Martin Luther, John Calvin and others. John Wyclif, John Huss and others anticipated Luther and Calvin and paved the way for their thinking and actions. This book gives the reader a very comprehensive look into the Reformation and why it came about. Durant, along with his wife Ariel, spent their lives creating a massive and comprehensive look at world history. Their detailed research beggars the imagination. I read the book from cover to cover and I recommend it be read in this manner - rather than as a reference book. Durant pulls no punches. Unlike other biographers of Luther and Calvin, he shines lights into the very dark corners of their beliefs and actions that seminaries fail to teach their charges. I believe it is important to understand the dark sides of Calvin and Luther - not just the world-changing actions both sponsored....more

This book is more than fifty years old but still accessible and full of insight into Martin Luther’s life and times. Early on, it is evident Bainton aThis book is more than fifty years old but still accessible and full of insight into Martin Luther’s life and times. Early on, it is evident Bainton admires Luther very much – maybe a bit too much to take an honest and well-rounded approach to Luther, the man, in toto. My first significant exposure to Martin Luther was in Will Durant’s volume, “The Reformation”, (From his magnum opus, “The Story of Civilization”) a comprehensive look into the religious and secular conflicts that occurred during Luther’s time as well as before and after. From about 1376, when John Wycliffe – The so-called ‘Morningstar of the Reformation’ – posited his 18 theses urging the church to renounce temporal dominion: Rigid control of doctrinal issues, as dictated by the Pope and his bishops, over the populace to the point of absurdity. Wycliffe went on to translate the Vulgate Bible into English. All this was happening even as the Roman Catholic Church had two popes; one in Rome and one (antipope) in Avignon (The Western Schism, 1378-1418). As in Luther’s time, Wycliffe’s complaints led to a peasant’s revolt which Wycliffe strongly opposed. This all happened more than 130 years before Luther posted his 95 theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg. Wycliffe died before he could be tried and convicted but the Roman church fathers were not happy with his work; he and his body of work were eventually condemned by the church, post-mortem. While Wycliffe was a scholar, Luther was just a smart and stubborn monk. Beginning about 1402 – nearly 20 years after Wycliffe’s death, John Hus, a Czech clergyman, began to denounce church abuses and hubris. Unlike Wycliffe, Hus was tried, convicted and burned at the stake in 1415. His followers continued the fight by way of the Hussite wars and by the time Martin Luther came onto the scene, more than one hundred years later, up to 90% of the Czech populace were already de facto Protestants. October 31, 1517 is a popular starting point for many protestant Christians as the beginning of the Reformation. Wycliffe was, arguably, the first serious threat to Roman Catholic supremacy in Europe; although the Cathars began to break away from Catholic rule in the 12th century. The Roman Catholic Church annihilated the Cathars. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of men, women and children were slaughtered by French troops at the direction of the Vatican. The Cathars weren’t really Protestants, per se, they were more of a breakaway church tending to a more Manichean-style dualist sect.Bainton does a fair job of describing Luther and his trials but he leaves a lot out – or he downplays Luther’s negatives. To be completely honest, Martin Luther hated the Jews. He despised them with such fervor that, in 1543, he wrote a book, “The Jews and Their Lies”, excoriating ALL Jews and strongly suggesting they all be deported from greater Germany and that their homes and properties be burned or otherwise destroyed – not a very forgiving kind of sentiment: “They should be shown no mercy or kindness, afforded no legal protection, and these ‘poisonous envenomed worms’ should be drafted into forced labor or expelled for all time. He also seems to advocate their murder, writing ‘[w]e are at fault in not slaying them’. A key Renaissance figure, Desiderius Erasmus (a Dutch Humanist), was an on-again, off-again admirer of Luther but the two of them argued – primarily by way of correspondence – incessantly. Their arguments led Luther to come to despise Reason. His diatribes against Reason are shocking to 21st century thinkers: “Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason”. In another statement, Luther is unintentionally ironic: “This fool [Copernicus] wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth”. So, Martin Luther, the great reformer, was also a foremost denier of science – not atypical of churchmen in his time. His blind adherence to literal interpretation of scripture completely clouded his innate ability to cogitate and evaluate secular ideas and theories. He was an unflinchingly hidebound theologian. Only John Calvin, who murdered more than two dozen people during his reign in Geneva, was more brutally rigid.Most of the bios of Martin Luther (the ones I have read) seem to skip over Luther’s powerful prejudices and adherence to faith to the exclusion of anything and everything else. I think this is intentional; most of these books are written by theologians or Christian authors for Christian audiences. Yes, Luther stuck his neck out – he truly expected he would be killed by the Roman church (they didn't do the actual killing, they farmed it out to the local authorities). He changed our world, no doubt. Any damage done by his hatred of Jews or science very likely had little impact on his world. Whether his writings impacted Nazi Germany, as Julius Streicher claimed, is arguable. And yet he was what he was. I think it’s only fair that Luther and Calvin be shown for what they are, warts and all. I don’t think it will have a deleterious effect on the faith of the Christian masses or seminarians. I rated this book 3 of 5 possible stars. The takeaways were: Too much focus on doctrinal issues and arguments and not enough focus on Luther, the man, as a loving husband and father as well as a bigoted and intolerant cleric. I am reminded of a song by “The Who”, “Won’t get fooled again”. The lyric goes like this:“Meet the new bossSame as the old boss”...more

This book is more than fifty years old but still accessible and full of insight into Martin Luther’s life and times. Early on, it is evident Bainton aThis book is more than fifty years old but still accessible and full of insight into Martin Luther’s life and times. Early on, it is evident Bainton admires Luther very much – maybe a bit too much to take an honest and well-rounded approach to Luther, the man, in toto. My first significant exposure to Martin Luther was in Will Durant’s volume, “The Reformation”, (From his magnum opus, “The Story of Civilization”) a comprehensive look into the religious and secular conflicts that occurred during Luther’s time as well as before and after. From about 1376, when John Wycliffe – The so-called ‘Morningstar of the Reformation’ – posited his 18 theses urging the church to renounce temporal dominion: Rigid control of doctrinal issues, as dictated by the Pope and his bishops, over the populace to the point of absurdity. Wycliffe went on to translate the Vulgate Bible into English. All this was happening even as the Roman Catholic Church had two popes; one in Rome and one (antipope) in Avignon (The Western Schism, 1378-1418). As in Luther’s time, Wycliffe’s complaints led to a peasant’s revolt which Wycliffe strongly opposed. This all happened more than 130 years before Luther posted his 95 theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg. Wycliffe died before he could be tried and convicted but the Roman church fathers were not happy with his work; he and his body of work were eventually condemned by the church, post-mortem. While Wycliffe was a scholar, Luther was just a smart and stubborn monk. Beginning about 1402 – nearly 20 years after Wycliffe’s death, John Hus, a Czech clergyman, began to denounce church abuses and hubris. Unlike Wycliffe, Hus was tried, convicted and burned at the stake in 1415. His followers continued the fight by way of the Hussite wars and by the time Martin Luther came onto the scene, more than one hundred years later, up to 90% of the Czech populace were already de facto Protestants. October 31, 1517 is a popular starting point for many protestant Christians as the beginning of the Reformation. Wycliffe was, arguably, the first serious threat to Roman Catholic supremacy in Europe; although the Cathars began to break away from Catholic rule in the 12th century. The Roman Catholic Church annihilated the Cathars. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of men, women and children were slaughtered by French troops at the direction of the Vatican. The Cathars weren’t really Protestants, per se, they were more of a breakaway church tending to a more Manichean-style dualist sect.Bainton does a fair job of describing Luther and his trials but he leaves a lot out – or he downplays Luther’s negatives. To be completely honest, Martin Luther hated the Jews. He despised them with such fervor that, in 1543, he wrote a book, “The Jews and Their Lies”, excoriating ALL Jews and strongly suggesting they all be deported from greater Germany and that their homes and properties be burned or otherwise destroyed – not a very forgiving kind of sentiment: “They should be shown no mercy or kindness, afforded no legal protection, and these ‘poisonous envenomed worms’ should be drafted into forced labor or expelled for all time. He also seems to advocate their murder, writing ‘[w]e are at fault in not slaying them’. A key Renaissance figure, Desiderius Erasmus (a Dutch Humanist), was an on-again, off-again admirer of Luther but the two of them argued – primarily by way of correspondence – incessantly. Their arguments led Luther to come to despise Reason. His diatribes against Reason are shocking to 21st century thinkers: “Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason”. In another statement, Luther is unintentionally ironic: “This fool [Copernicus] wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth”. So, Martin Luther, the great reformer, was also a foremost denier of science – not atypical of churchmen in his time. His blind adherence to literal interpretation of scripture completely clouded his innate ability to cogitate and evaluate secular ideas and theories. He was an unflinchingly hidebound theologian. Only John Calvin, who murdered more than two dozen people during his reign in Geneva, was more brutally rigid.Most of the bios of Martin Luther (the ones I have read) seem to skip over Luther’s powerful prejudices and adherence to faith to the exclusion of anything and everything else. I think this is intentional; most of these books are written by theologians or Christian authors for Christian audiences. Yes, Luther stuck his neck out – he truly expected he would be killed by the Roman church (they didn’t do the actual killing, they farmed it out to the local authorities). He changed our world, no doubt. Any damage done by his hatred of Jews or science very likely had little impact on his world. Whether his writings impacted Nazi Germany, as Julius Streicher claimed, is arguable. And yet he was what he was. I think it’s only fair that Luther and Calvin be shown for what they are, warts and all. I don’t think it will have a deleterious effect on the faith of the Christian masses or seminarians. I rated this book 3 of 5 possible stars. The takeaways were: Too much focus on doctrinal issues and arguments and not enough focus on Luther, the man, as a loving husband and father as well as a bigoted and intolerant cleric. I am reminded of a song by “The Who”, “Won’t get fooled again”. The lyric goes like this:“Meet the new bossSame as the old boss”...more

When I first opened this book, I was a bit put off that it consisted of a series of letters rather than the linear prose of most novels. But I forgedWhen I first opened this book, I was a bit put off that it consisted of a series of letters rather than the linear prose of most novels. But I forged ahead and before I had read 20 pages, the hook was set. The author and her niece did a terrific job of forging a wonderful and compelling story.During the Second World War, Britain was not occupied by the Germans. Well, that’s not exactly or completely true. The Germans did occupy the Channel Islands – a British Crown Dependency. Off the coast of France but belonging to England, the locals had enough time to evacuate most of the children to mainland England. The Germans occupied the islands for five years. The well-researched story gives us insight into the privations and outrages visited on the islanders by the German army as well as a few humane and sympathetic members of the German occupation force. The main islands are Guernsey and Jersey – known primarily for their special breeds of milk cows. Owing to their proximity to France, French is a commonly spoken language in the Dependency.There are two main characters in the story. Juliet Ashton, a London-based writer and Dawsey Adams, a Guernsey pig farmer and charter member of the Society. A secondary character is Elizabeth McKenna, the founder of the eponymous society. The story is told completely by an exchange of letters (epistolary) between ten or so people, including London-based editors and Guernsey residents and members of the Society.I read a few of the negative reviews on Goodreads and Amazon but I believe the reviewers were reading a different book. This one is a keeper and highly recommended by this reviewer....more

A well-researched chronicle of the infamous dust bowl of the 1930s, Egan has done a masterful job capturing the horror of millions of tons of topsoilA well-researched chronicle of the infamous dust bowl of the 1930s, Egan has done a masterful job capturing the horror of millions of tons of topsoil sucked into the atmosphere only to be hurled back into the wretched lives of dust bowl farmers, ranchers and their families. Before I got into this book, I certainly knew of the dust bowl and the hardships it visited upon the inhabitants but I did not know the details of exactly how these poor people suffered. Some examples: Children suffocating from the dust while in bed. Cattle ingesting so much dirt that they starved: food failed to pass through stomachs filled with sand. Storms so huge that they blanketed New York City, Washington DC and even ships 200 miles at sea - with hundreds of millions of tons of suffocating dust. In addition to dust storms, there was drought (locals called it "drouth"),hordes of grasshoppers and misery beyond rational belief. In spite of the horror, privation and death, many of the people who lived in this area - look up dust bowl on Wikipedia - were determined to stay and continue farming. The effects of the dust bowl are felt to this day, nearly 80 years after the fact. It was a terrible time in American history and one any reader of non-fiction should read....more

The title is what first caught my eye. It’s compelling. I read a few reviews prior to ordering the book and then listened to it on my iPhone during exThe title is what first caught my eye. It’s compelling. I read a few reviews prior to ordering the book and then listened to it on my iPhone during exercise sessions and car trips. I often found myself sitting in the car upon reaching my destination so I could get to the end of a chapter.In Germany, between the world wars, there was much discord and deep resentment over the punishment Germany was handed at the Treaty of Versailles. This deep discord allowed Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany in 1933. He wasted little time consolidating power and naming himself dictator. Shortly after his ascension to the Chancellorship, Franklin Roosevelt and his staff were looking for an able ambassador. They went through a long list of potential candidates – all who turned down the job. Berlin, Germany had been a plum posting prior to Hitler’s ascension – now it was one of the least popular of ambassadorships. Roosevelt finally found a willing taker – an obscure and pedantic history professor by the name of William E Dodd.Dodd, along with his family, wife Mattie and son, Bill Jr and daughter, Martha. Dodd’s children were 20-something adults. The story focuses primarily on Dodd himself and his daughter, Martha. Martha was a handful: Beautiful and flirtatious, she raised many an eyebrow with both German and American officials. She was a woman of easy virtue and fickle to a fault. Dodd was not a good fit for his new job. He was a competent professor but a little out of his element as an ambassador. His fellow State Dept. ambassadors called themselves members of “The Pretty Good Club.” Being named an ambassador was a pretty good thing for connected, and wealthy, men in 1930s America. Dodd was far from wealthy.Dodd and his family quickly learned that the Nazis were little more than well-dressed savages. Their treatment of Jews and others who didn’t meet the Nazi standard of ‘good Aryan Germans’ caught the attention of the Dodd family. Martha was initially quite taken by the glamour exuded by certain members of the Nazi elite. She was an unabashed admirer of Hitler and members of Hitler’s staff. Of particular interest was Rudolf Diels, the chief of the Gestapo. Diels was married but that didn’t stop him from carrying on an affair with Martha. As the book progresses, we learn that Martha slowly weans herself away from Nazism and shifts her attention towards communism – a move that would have profound consequences for her later in life.As the Dodd family became more familiar with the territory, they became increasingly alarmed at Hitler’s behavior. Through the lens of history, we know what an awful man Hitler was. This fact was not common knowledge to the American people at the time; Hitler had many admirers in antebellum USA. Dodd began sending cables and letters to Roosevelt (Roosevelt was a personal friend) explaining his dismay at Hitler’s behavior. The cables became increasingly dire but the US State Dept., rather than taking the necessary steps, criticized Dodd for un-ambassador-like behavior. Dodd had little personal wealth – unlike most ambassadors of the day and he and his family lived frugally in an environment where flashy excess was the expected norm. Most ambassadors used their personal wealth to live large; Dodd used his $17,000 salary and had a hard time making ends meet.

In spite of the ill fit, Dodd proved to be a keen student of a situation that would eventually become the world’s worst disaster, in terms of armed conflict. In spite of his klaxon call of extreme danger, the isolationists in America held sway and an opportunity to spank Hitler before he created his huge war machine was lost. Dodd, as dull as he may have been, got short shrift in his place in history until Erik Larson published this fine book....more

As a descendant of Mayflower Puritans, I wanted more information about how my forebears came to the so-called "New World" and what life was like for tAs a descendant of Mayflower Puritans, I wanted more information about how my forebears came to the so-called "New World" and what life was like for them. This book was okay but not as accessible as other books I've read concerning the Puritans. The author is a distant cousin; we have a Mayflower passenger as a common ancestor....more

Non-fiction represents about 20% of my book reading choices. I am very happy I chose this volume to listen to. I usually have at least one audio book Non-fiction represents about 20% of my book reading choices. I am very happy I chose this volume to listen to. I usually have at least one audio book going at any given time. This story, narrated by Bronson Pinchot, held me enthralled for about two weeks (I only listen during workouts and gardening chores). This is the story of a group of two dozen very brave Union soldiers from Ohio infiltrating the border between the US and the CSA for the purpose of stealing a locomotive (The General) and bringing it back to the Union lines while burning bridges, cutting telegraph wires and tearing up track during the exfiltration. As they fled toward the border, The Texas, a locomotive manned by outraged Confederates, gave chase - managing to stay on track in spite of dodging the damage done by the Union troops on the fleeing General. The infiltrators were led by a civilian named James Andrews, Andrews was a tall, handsome, dark and imposing civilian with no military experience, no espionage experience but gifted with a golden tongue; he convinced a Union general that this would soften up the Rebs such that an invasion force could divide the Confederacy in two (divide and conquer, right?) Well, the plan was sound in its theory but so many things can go wrong in the fog of war and this raid was no exception. Today, little is known of the raid and its participants. During the Civil war it was a BIG DEAL. Things went badly for the raiders but what a thrill ride it was for them. The survivors received the very first Medals of Honor ever presented to American soldiers. For Civil War buffs, this is a must read. Actually, anyone who appreciates history will want to read this book: The author does a great job separating fact from fiction in this highly adventurous story from the US Civil War. The story has been made into at least two Hollywood films and should be considered for another treatment by Hollywood. Although it happened 150 years ago, the reader will feel as if it happened yesterday....more

Several reviewers decried the author's writing and/or dismissed it as young adult fiction. While the writing style is certainly accessible to youngerSeveral reviewers decried the author's writing and/or dismissed it as young adult fiction. While the writing style is certainly accessible to younger readers, this is, after all, a memoir. As a memoir, it is well-written and eye-opening. One gets the sense that it is not embellished ala James Frey. Like most baby boomers, I am well aware of the plight of Japanese Americans and their abrupt imprisonment after Pearl Harbor and for much of World War 2. I was not aware that these people were required to sign documents that forced them to decide between their Japanese selves and US American selves. This alone caused untold damage to the thousands of internees - and discord within that community lasts to this day. While it is always unwise to judge the actions of people in reaction to historical events, it has an analog to today's widespread animus towards Middle Eastern and Hispanic people in our country. It is unlikely we'll be imprisoning people based on their heritage, but it's common knowledge that racism is alive and well in 21st century America. The author does a good job describing the horror and fear experienced by herself and her family. At times, they fully expected they would be marched into a forest and executed. On several occasions, they were threatened with death by their fellow (white) citizens for the crime of being Japanese Americans - the author reports an incident where a barber grabbed her, as she was walking down a street in Nampa, Idaho, and held a razor to her throat wishing aloud he could kill her. While I have always been a little suspicious of dialog in a memoir (who can remember who said what over 60 years ago?) the author's use of dialog adds a welcome dimension to her narrative. And the dialog is highly believable. I got the sense that the events of her experience as a prisoner of war (A US citizen imprisoned by and in her own country . . .) served to burn these memories into her psyche such that she really did remember conversations. As with most memoirs, I found myself wanting more. The narrative ends shortly after the family's release. Little information is given about the author's children (I am a friend of her son) and many readers might like more details. Otherwise, go to the library and get this book - you'll be glad you did....more

A mildly interesting look at the sudden interest in eastern mysticism and religions by millions of baby boomers in the late 1960s. The Beatles might bA mildly interesting look at the sudden interest in eastern mysticism and religions by millions of baby boomers in the late 1960s. The Beatles might be partly responsible but Mehta does major literary eye-rolling at the influx of naive westerners traveling to India and other south Asian countries in search of knowledge. Even Steve Jobs succumbed to the pull of this nonsense. To this day, there are westerners afflicted with this desire to "find" themselves and become one with the universe or some equally idiotic notion. Mehta's writing style is often obtuse and unnecessarily athletic in the literary sense. Had she written the book in a more approachable style, I might have given it 4 stars. As it stands, 2 and half stars will have to do....more

Bart Ehrman, erstwhile born-again seminary student turned agnostic Biblical scholar has struck again. This book follows up his much maligned (by conseBart Ehrman, erstwhile born-again seminary student turned agnostic Biblical scholar has struck again. This book follows up his much maligned (by conservatives) book, Misquoting Jesus, published a few years before this one. Ehrman's writing style is very accessible - and textual history, especially as it relates to the Christian Bible, can be very dry and technical. He makes it fascinating. Most conservative Christians like to tell us that the Bible is the perfect, incontrovertible word of God or deeply inspired by God. Bart Ehrman clearly deflates that notion: the Bible is full of inconsistencies and contradictions. One of his key themes: If the New Testament is so "perfect", why was it originally written in Greek some 30 to 50 years after Jesus' death? Jesus and his followers spoke Aramaic and most of them were illiterate. There's a big question mark between Jesus's death and the writing of these books that make up the Bible. Where did the writers get their information? Nobody knows. I would urge Christians and nascent Christians to read this book - it is an eye-opener....more

Dan Simmons continues to amaze me. He reminds me of Robert Heinlein with his complicated space opera scenarios. Ilium - and the sequel Olympos - mightDan Simmons continues to amaze me. He reminds me of Robert Heinlein with his complicated space opera scenarios. Ilium - and the sequel Olympos - might most succinctly be described as ancient Greek mythology meets 25th century nanotechnology with a heavy dose of applied theoretical quantum physics thrown in for good measure. The story kept me reading late into the night until I had read both these books - a combined 1500 or 1600 pages. Very highly recommended for lovers of sci-fi, fantasy, history, Greek literature, Greek Mythology, Shakespeare, and Proust - this book has it all....more

Sarah Vowell is doing for history what Hunter Thompson did for journalism. Vowell's clever and funny take on New England's Puritan beginnings is at o Sarah Vowell is doing for history what Hunter Thompson did for journalism. Vowell's clever and funny take on New England's Puritan beginnings is at once shocking and hilarious. The Puritans left England for religious freedom - only to impose their own brand of religious oppression on fellow Puritans who learned different ways to worship God. The reader will clearly understand why the word 'puritanical' is often used as a synonym for tyrannical in our language to this day. The frequent schisms experienced by Protestant churches continues to this day. According to Wikipedia, there are as many as 38,000 Christian denominations in the world today. It seems odd that there is so much disagreement in what is purportedly the perfect Word of God. One must wonder: What would God think of the fractured (and fractious) nature of his most Holy Church? I was bemused by the many negative comments here about 'Shipmates'. I thought the book was interesting and clever. Oh, it helps that I'm directly descended from several of these Puritan characters....more

Here's my recommendation: If you cannot get your hands on a copy from your local library immediately, go buy it. One of the most compelling stories ofHere's my recommendation: If you cannot get your hands on a copy from your local library immediately, go buy it. One of the most compelling stories of survival and heroic action by small groups of Jews hiding from vicious Nazi killers during WWII. Belarus, a small central European country, had a large Jewish population before the war. Like so many countries in the vicinity, when the war ended, there were nearly no Jews left. The Bielski brothers, a very tough trio, by dint of will and no small measure of viciousness, were able to find, protect, and shepard more than 1,000 of their fellow Jews to safety over a harrowing three-year period - all this while conducting a savage guerilla war against Nazi troops. Sadly, the Bielski brothers were all dead by 1995 and none of them knew of the widespread acclaim they are receiving today. Highly receommended book. This is author Peter Duffy's first book. I look forward to his next effort. By the way, a recent film, "Defiance" starring Daniel Craig, dramatizes the Bielski brothers story. I haven't seen the film yet but plan to.

Some of the reviews below feel the book is not well written. I disagree. For a first effort, Duffy did a very good job....more

A fascinating look at a ten-minute argument between two of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century. These two men had never met - and when theyA fascinating look at a ten-minute argument between two of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century. These two men had never met - and when they finally did, it was a virtual donnybrook with Ludwig Wittgenstein holding a poker at Karl Popper's throat while he berated him. The book looks at both men, their philosophies and how they came to meet. They never met again after this meeting. Great read for philosophy students....more

"From A Proud Tower in the Town, Death Looks Gigantically Down" This book draws parallels between the 14th and 20th centuries. Of particular interest"From A Proud Tower in the Town, Death Looks Gigantically Down" This book draws parallels between the 14th and 20th centuries. Of particular interest to Tuchman: the numerous calamities, diseases, genocides and general bullshit humans seem to be sucked into. Tuchman is a highly accessible historian - all her books are so well written and, well, just so darn interesting. The proud tower reference is from Poe and speaks to humanity's tendency to construct fragile social edifices that often end in death and destruction....more

This is one of the top five books I've read this year (2008). While many Americans are in love with the myths of the Mayflower Pilgrims, the first ThaThis is one of the top five books I've read this year (2008). While many Americans are in love with the myths of the Mayflower Pilgrims, the first Thanksgiving and all the trimmings, the times were far different than myth would have it. This is not revisionist history, this is a carefully researched and unblinking look at life in 17th-century New England. Death was a frequent visitor in this rather bleak environment. The relationship with the indigenous population was definitely love/hate. The Indians and the colonists were both fickle: depending on their aims and objectives, any given tribe might be a mortal enemy today and a valued ally tomorrow. Miles Standish was a towering figure in the Pilgrim community. Without his presence, the colony would probably not have survived. As the ONLY military leader in the community, he was an awesome force - and his Indian enemies crossed him at their regret. Massasoit, the local Indian chief and Squanto, an English-speaking Indian were both critical to the colony's success. Massasoit was a source of protection against unfriendly Indians and Squanto - fluent in English - assured that the colony did not starve: he shared Indian agricultural methods with the settlers. As a direct descendant of several Mayflower Pilgrims, I had a vested interest in reading this book. I was not disappointed....more

I read this book a very long time ago - but some of Crane's dark images stay with me. Having served in Vietnam myself, these images of war resonate veI read this book a very long time ago - but some of Crane's dark images stay with me. Having served in Vietnam myself, these images of war resonate very sharply. I will admit: it was not a fun read - I was compelled to read it in a sophomore English class. But I would have any politician voting to send American troops into harm's way to read this book first. ...more

William Adams, aka Samurai William, was an exceedingly brave man. Not only did he defy the Shoguns of 16th-17th century Japan, they made him hatamoto,William Adams, aka Samurai William, was an exceedingly brave man. Not only did he defy the Shoguns of 16th-17th century Japan, they made him hatamoto, a bona fide Samurai - a hard-won title never before won by a westerner. William had a faculty for languages and quickly mastered Japanese. He earned the respect of powerful Japanese warlords but had fierce detractors in that camp as well. A well-written and inspiring story of early western influence in protectionist medieval Japan....more

Students of the French Revolution: Read this book, take notes, get an "A" on the final exam. Schama's treatment of this famous revolt is thorough andStudents of the French Revolution: Read this book, take notes, get an "A" on the final exam. Schama's treatment of this famous revolt is thorough and entertaining....more

Clear and concise history of the end of the Roman Republic. Any student of history will appreciate how corrupt the Roman Empire was before and after tClear and concise history of the end of the Roman Republic. Any student of history will appreciate how corrupt the Roman Empire was before and after the fall of the republic. Murder was an accepted tool of political intrigue in this period and the Roman aristocracy rarely hesitated in destroying opponents, real and imagined. A great introduction to the start of the Roman Empire...more